Rural Health International Place-based Education and Research (RHIPER) Conference

Registrations are open now for the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network’s (RMCLHN) Riverland Academy of Clinical Excellence (RACE) inaugural Rural Health International Place-based Education and Research (RHIPER) conference.

The three-day conference will be held in Murray Bridge, South Australia from Wednesday 29 to Friday 31 October 2025, with some optional pre-conference activities on Wednesday 29 October 2025.

The conference will comprise research presentations, plenary discussions, a policy workshop, and a conference dinner.

The aim of the conference is to bring together national and international rural clinicians and researchers interested in clinical and non-clinical research, policy and/or education. It will also be a valuable opportunity to get together to network and discuss best practice and exciting opportunities relating to rural healthcare.

Conference agenda

Day one of the conference will be an opportunity to network and attend local experiences in the region, followed by canapés in the evening.

Day two of the conference will include research presentations and a plenary session with guest speaker Professor Sonia Kumar, Founding Executive Dean of Medicine at St Mary’s University London on Community Engaged Medical Education.

Day three of the conference will be a policy workshop with Professor Jenny May AM, National Rural Health Commissioner, and the Hon. Fiona Nash, Regional Education Commissioner.

A conference dinner will also be held on the Thursday evening.

Guest Speakers

Professor Sonia Kumar Professor Sonia Kumar, Founding Executive Dean of Medicine at St Mary’s University (SMU), London

Professor Kumar is the Founding Executive Dean of Medicine at St Mary’s in London, leading their new School of Medicine, which will welcome its first cohort in September 2026. Professor Kumar has more than two decades experience as a GP and educationalist, specialising in community-based health and education for the benefit of society, which will be core to the new School.

Professor Kumar studied Medicine at King’s College London, where she also gained a Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degree (distinction) and holds a Fellowship with the Royal College of General Practitioners. Prior to this role, she was the Associate Dean in Community Engagement at the University of Leeds, where she led the university’s civic mission in the city and local region. She established CENTRE (community engagement network in research education and civic engagement) working with colleagues across the university and key stakeholders to maximise the university’s social impact, enabling students to gain key graduate attributes and citizenship skills needed for the future workforce and broader global change. 

Professor Kumar worked at the London Deanery and had a ten-year award-winning tenure as the Director of Undergraduate Primary Care Education at Imperial College London. Over this time, she won 19 awards for her team, including the Imperial President’s Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Teaching Excellence and the CATE collaborative team award from AdvanceHE. At Imperial, she founded MEdIC (medical education innovation and research centre) a research centre focussed on aligning medical education with community priorities and workforce needs.

Professor Jenny May AM, National Rural Health CommissionerProfessor Jenny May AM, National Rural Health Commissioner

Professor Jenny May AM has been passionate about rural health since her first rural medical student placement in 1980 and then as a trainee rural doctor at Tamworth Hospital in 1985. 

Professor May’s vast and extensive knowledge working across Australia and internationally has provided multiple opportunities to contribute through research on health workforce matters. She now calls Tamworth home and has had the incredible privilege to live and work with her doctor husband and family in a number of remote and regional locations.

Professor May holds fellowships with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and has extensive experience in clinical practice, research, education and rural health advocacy. In 2016 she was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to community health in rural and regional areas, as a general practitioner, member of professional medical groups, and as an educator.

With over 35 years of working and supporting rural, regional and remote health care, her appointment as the third National Rural Health Commissioner has been widely welcomed. 

The Hon. Fiona Nash, Regional Education Commissioner The Hon. Fiona Nash, Regional Education Commissioner

The Hon. Fiona Nash grew up in Sydney and has spent the last three decades living and working in regional Australia. For many years she was involved in a family farming enterprise in the central west of New South Wales (NSW), which her sons Will and Henry are now running.

Fiona spent 12 years in the federal parliament as a Senator for NSW, holding several ministerial positions including Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Regional Communications and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education. She also held the position of Deputy Leader of the Nationals. From 2018 to 2021 Fiona was the Strategic Adviser, Regional Engagement and Government Relations for Charles Sturt University.

Fiona was appointed by the Australian Government as the Regional Education Commissioner in December 2021.

Tickets

Attendees can opt to attend all three days of the conference or two days including the research presentations, policy workshop and conference dinner.

Virtual tickets are available to participate online for the two days of presentations and workshops.

Ticket options and pricing are as follows:

  • Students, interns, volunteers and attendees from not-for-profit and community organisations - $350 incl. GST for the full conference or $300 incl. GST for two days
  • General admission - $550 incl. GST for the full conference or $400 incl. GST for two days
  • Virtual ticket - $240 incl. GST for two days

All ticket prices are in Australian Dollars (AUD) and exclude Eventbrite service fees.

Accommodation and transport

Attendees will need to arrange their own accommodation and transport.

Accommodation is available in Murray Bridge at:

  • Bridgeport Hotel accommodation from $192 per night. Use code RHIPER10 for a 10% discount.
  • Adelaide Road Motor Lodge accommodation for $165 per night. 

How to register

Register today at bit.ly/RHIPER2025Registration


Call for abstracts

The submission deadline for abstracts is Saturday 31 May 2025.

Abstracts should align with one or more of the conference themes.

Place Matters: Transforming education and research to strengthen rural and remote healthcare. A place-based approach to improving healthcare access and outcomes through locally driven education and research. 

  • Research
  • Education
  • Policy.

The presentation modality for abstracts can comprise short oral presentations, oral presentations or workshops.

Abstract details regarding each of these modalities is outlined below:

  • Short oral presentations (available for current health professional students) to provide students with the opportunities to contribute. Total 5-minutes with a 3-minute presentation and 2-minute question time. 1-3 slides.
  • Oral presentations will be 20 minutes in length including question time.
  • Workshops should be interactive learning activities, providing participants with new educational models or research skills that can be applied in practice. Submissions must include a structured timeline and description of how participants will be engaged during the workshop (60 minutes).
  • Plenary sessions are predetermined and will be 45 minutes.

How to submit your abstract

Please submit your abstract using RHIPER Abstract Template (DOC 33KB) to RACE Senior Researcher Dr Amy Mendham via health.rmclhnresearchunit@sa.gov.au